“I’m hiding here.”
“My father will come around.”
“Ness, I’m still staying here with you. I just have to show my face at the clubhouse. That’s all.”
I nod, my frown immovable.
He kisses my forehead. “It’ll be okay.”
“Okay. I don’t understand, but I trust you.”
He smiles. “Thank you.”
I reach for a glass of water on the coffee table and take a sip. “If you want to get out of here for a little bit, I could give you a tour of the manor.”
Dax gets off the couch, moving toward the glass sliding doors to view the manor. “It looks like it’ll take all day to move around that place.”
“I’ll only show you the important rooms. There are a few wings I haven’t been in for years.”
Dax laughs. “I don’t get why your family needs to live in such a massive place.”
I smirk, walking over to him. “Because this is Ashworth Estate and we’re the Ashworth family.”
Dax slaps his forehead playfully. “How could I be so dumb?”
“I need to change anyway,” I say, looking down at the T-shirt and shorts I slept in. “I can’t have anyone see me walk around in this during the day.”
“I think you look cute,” he says, taking my hand. “You look so relaxed. You’re not even wearing makeup.”
I look away in embarrassment. “Don’t make fun of me.”
He holds onto my hand tighter. “I’m not. Honestly, you look great.”
I cup my cheek, feeling it grow hotter. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m not dressed appropriately.”
Dax chuckles. “I thought I told your mother to get out of your head.”
“It’s not just my family. The staff will look at me funny too.”
As we walk toward the manor, Dax asks, “Do you need to go to school today?”
“Going to school for my brother and me is mostly for image’s sake,” I reply. “When the school is named after our family, we kinda get away with not attending. Besides, there’s three ivy league colleges competing for me, so my future isn’t dependent on high school.”
“Do you know what college you want to go to?”
“I haven’t thought about it because it’s not my decision.”
Dax sighs. “I see why you want to feel free.”
“My problems are nothing compared to yours.”
His thumb rubs against the back of my hand. “But they’re your problems, and they matter.”
I lean into him appreciatively.
Before we reach the manor, Dax asks, “Are you sure my bike is okay in that shed?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. When I spoke to Murphy earlier, he said the groundskeeping staff had asked about it, but I had him instruct them to ignore it.”
